


Artemis Fowl: Full Moon Rising

by ixamxleigh



Category: Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-11-19 00:06:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11301633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ixamxleigh/pseuds/ixamxleigh
Summary: After the techno-crash of 2012, fairy and human criminals have been working in conjunction at a rate that is increasing drastically.  In order to combat this new threat to both human and faeries alike,  a special task force comprised of none other than Holly Short,  Mulch Diggums, Foaly, the Butler siblings,  and Artemis Fowl himself,  is assembled along with a new recruit to provide assistance on the human front.  The newcomer,  biologist Leigh Hardy, is ready and raring to go,  but has a secret she's desperate to keep.  Will the team be better for it,  or will her reckless behavior throw Artemis and the gang in peril?





	1. Prologue

In the year 2001, a twelve year old aristocrat kidnapped a fairy in order to restore his family’s fortune and, at the last minute, his mother’s sanity. Because of his actions, this boy, Artemis Fowl, set the fates of the fairy and human races on an inevitable collision course. Through the years, while battling goblin uprisings, pulling great heists, thwarting several revenge attempts, and saving a once lost race of demons, Artemis and his friends have done all in their power to prevent this collision from occurring.

However, in the year 2012, the pixie Opal Koboi, a well known nemesis to the team by then, sacrificed herself in an attempt to expose the fairy People to the humans and kill her enemies. Through the bravery of Butler, Holly, Foaly, and Mulch, and Artemis’ own sacrifice, Opal was stopped and eliminated, leaving the Great Techno-Crash of 2012 in her wake.

The world has since rebuilt itself, new and efficient. Major crises haven’t taken place in years, though crime rates have made a profound come back. Despite the efforts of the LEP and the brilliant and dashing centaur Foaly, more and more humans and fairies have been working in conjunction to fulfill immoral deeds. The fairy Council has taken notice, and demanded that the LEP do more to prevent these misconducts, fearing that if the People were to be officially exposed to the human race, they would rather it not be because a fairy was caught stealing from the Mud People, or much worse.

LEP Commander Trouble Kelp has called for a special meeting. Only the demon warlock No1 and those directly involved in the battle that took place in 2012 are to attend. A decision has to be made here, one that will change the lives of everyone involved forever. Of course, it wouldn’t be an Artemis Fowl adventure without at least one change in world-view, now would it?


	2. A Meeting of Men and Mer

**LEP Headquarters, Haven**

**O** n the upper floors of the newly renovated LEP station, in a lab covered wall-to-wall in the most advanced tech known to fairy or man, sat a centaur, an elf, a dwarf, a demon, a mountain of a man, and his charge. A circle of friends, each individual displaying a different reaction to being in their current situation.

        Foaly, the centaur, proud owner of the lab, and creator of every morsel of tech to be seen, was positively nervous. Multiple people were being crowded into his precious lab, and while his ego had been given a large boost a few hours ago when Trouble had informed him of the Council's demand.

        “I understand their concern,  but why here?” he had asked. “We have a bigger meeting room a few floors down. You know,  for actual meetings.”

        Trouble had pinched the bridge of his nose, the strain of his position of authority nearly enough to tempt him into taking up the cigars that his predecessor was well- known for.

         “Because, Foaly,  your lab is the most secure room in all of Haven and hell, maybe even on the planet,  and the Council knows that.”

        Of course, once his “guests”started to arrive, his pride quickly went out the window. Not only was the ever curious demon warlock No1 here,  surrounded by shiny, never-before-seen tech,  but so was the kleptomaniac dwarf Mulch Diggums, who was also surrounded by shiny, never-before-seen tech.  On top of that, Artemis Fowl was brought in, along with his towering bodyguard, Butler. The poor man barely fit through the door,  and if he didn't sit completely still,  he was liable to knock over something expensive.  Then, as if things couldn't be even more tense, Artemis was bound to make some underhanded comment on his work.

        The elf,  Holly Short,  was actually feeling great.  Yes,  the lab _was_ crowded,  and,  yes,  she had missed her breakfast of raspberry mascarpone and a pineapple/kiwi juice blend, but everything that came after her call was brilliant.   First, there was little to no traffic on the way to LEP HQ, which was extremely rare for that time in the fairy day. Secondly, because of the disaster that was 2012, the LEPRecon had been stretched thin trying to dispel any human notions that the People might exist, keeping Holly from visiting Fowl Manor after helping to reinstall Artemis’ memories post-resurrection. Now that they were being forced into the same room, she could personally check up on her friend’s well-being, rather than receive any updates second handedly from Foaly.

        The dwarf, Mulch Diggums, was as cheerfully nonchalant as ever. He had had no plans for the day, and any opportunity to raid the LEP breakroom fridge and get Foaly’s goat never ceased to sound like a good time. And besides, the troll-riders in training would appreciate a day off.

        The demon, a young warlock called No1, was just as cheerful as both Mulch and Captain Short. Encompassed by all of his friends and _countless_ buttons just waiting to be pressed, left him with a sort of buzz. He knew that he couldn’t press any of the buttons in question. The last time he had tried, the innovative centaur had what he could only describe as _a conniption fit._ No buttons would be pressed, and, while he’d love to strike up a conversation with any of the rooms occupants, there were simply too many topics to choose from, and too many fantastic people were present for him to simply pick _one individual_. Instead, he resigned himself to sit quietly in his seat, contemplating the strange dream he had had the night before.

        Butler, the largest individual in the room, was doing his best to stay within the invisible boundaries he had set for himself in order to preserve his friends’ fairy technology. It was a fairly simple task despite his size, given his years of arduous training, leaving him to run  through his extensive security checklist. He knew that the lab he was in was most likely the most secure holding aside from a state-of-the-art bomb shelter, but since Artemis’ revival, it was like he was a newly assigned  bodyguard again. Only this time, he knew the full extent of the sort of trouble his charge could attract.

        Artemis Fowl II was vexed. Not with the meeting itself, but rather the time it was being held. It was ten o’clock in the evening, and while it was was the fairy equivalent of  “the early morning rush”, and he was used to keeping late nights with his work, today was different. It had been the twins’ birthday, and he had done his best to be fully involved in the festivities thrown at the manor. His brother Myles would have liked nothing more than to have a nice dinner after opening his gifts, but Beckett had wanted the complete, stereotypical birthday experience, of which their mother was more the happy to put together. And, after a day awash in non-stop activity, Artemis was worn.

        He had just dressed after a shower, skin tinged a slight red from scrubbing off face-paint, birthday cake, and whatever else his active brother had thought fun to throw around, when Foaly contacted him through their private network. It was a new feature for the both of them, one they had been working on for a week to bring to fruition. Through their combined intellect, they established a connection that was virtually _impenetrable_ , with firewalls and guard-viruses that would send even someone of Foaly’s caliber taking their systems to the furthest reaches of the web. Completely safe, high quality communication from anywhere on the planet, and only accessible by those that got the greenlight from both Artemis _and_ Foaly.

        “I’m serious Mud-boy, the reflective polychromatic look is in! If I apply the design to the iris-cams, _minus the camera of course_ , I’ll make enough gold to fully fund my GILS research!”

        Artemis sighed wearily. This banter had been going on since he had arrived. _It’s practically our own personal greeting,_ he thought, bemused.

        “Be that as it may, to mutilate such advanced technology with holographic _rainbows_ is simply _appalling._ ” he reasoned.

        Foaly huffed, “Says the human with a _rose gold phone._ ”

        Artemis scoffed. He almost sounded _offended._ “That is different. Rose gold is elegant and _dignified_ . Reflective polychrome hasn’t been popular since the rave scenes in the _nineties_.”

        “Boys, boys! Please!” Holly interjected. “Honestly, they’re _both_ flashy, and I wouldn’t be caught dead with them on my person.”

       Foaly opened his mouth to argue, but was interrupted by the automatic doors sliding open to allow in the one and only Commander Trouble Kelp.

        “Sorry I’m late everyone. The Council is furious with recent events. It was all I could do to get over here without someone threatening to _terminate_ me.” He took a moment to catch his breath. “Foaly, is the room secure?”

        “Oh absolutely. My new system now sweeps for any tech that _isn’t_ exclusively mine every three minutes. But, just in case,” From his lab coat, the centaur extracted a wand and performed a quick sweep of the room.

        “All clear,” he remarked once he was done. “Scout’s honor.”

        “Good.” The Commander moved to stand where he could see most everyone in the room while he spoke. “Now, you’re all probably wondering why I brought you all here.”

        From the Commander’s left, Mulch snickered at the choice of cliche phrasing, giving Artemis the opportunity to move things along.

        “Opal Koboi,” he said, sending a sudden chill to pass through the room. “Or, more specifically, the effects of Opal’s final act of aggression. The wrong humans are learning the truth about the People, and it’s beginning to be too much for your LEPRecons.”

        Commander Kelp nodded. “Exactly. They need to be stopped, but with the recovery effort still going on, the LEP is already under strain.”

        “You LEPs don’t have the fairy-power for a _delicate extraction_ of this size.” Mulch added, scratching at his beard. “And the last thing those humans need is _more_ careless fairy contact.”

        “You’d need a special-ops of sorts,” Butler supplemented.

        “A fairy _and_ human special-ops,” Holly said, excitement buzzing in her skull.

        “Right, _and the next person to interrupt me isn’t getting an invite to the party._ ” The Commander took another moment to cool. “The Council wants me to put together a team to handle these human/fairy infractions. I’ll be in charge until they can officially appoint a supervisor.”

        The elf looked at all of them in turn. “I want each and every one of you on this team. You all have been dealing with these circumstances since the Siege on Fowl Manor.” Now he focused his attention on Artemis and Butler. “I believe we have enough fairy-power, but it won’t be enough with just the two of you, especially since Artemis isn’t qualified to be out on the field.”

        Butler nodded, glad that he and the Commander were all on the same page. He carefully turned to Artemis, knowing that the final decision would be his. Artemis tapped his knee, stopping immediately when he remembered that his skin was still a bit tender.

        “Could Juliet join us, perhaps?” He phrased this as a question deliberately, knowing how protective his bodyguard was of his younger sibling. Butler was quiet for a moment, then conceded with a sigh.

        “Alright, I’ll ask her.” He looked pointedly at the Commander. “But if she says no, _that’s all there is to it._ And neither Juliet nor myself will be able to be in the field full time. The Fowls are our priority.”

        “I understand. That still leaves us with only two part-time field operatives.” Trouble visibly relaxed. This meeting was going along a lot smoother than he had thought it would. Suddenly, the room broke out in a decisive babble.

        “It can’t just be _anyone_.”

        “What skill set are we looking for, exactly?”

        “We should find another woman!”

         This remark gave the demon warlock a start. While the meeting took place around him, No1 had continued to contemplate his dream. His teacher, Qwan, had always said that messages could come to him through his magic in any form, and to always be on the look-out for them. The comment finally made something click in his mind.

        Unnoticed by the rest of the room, the imp carried his chair over to Foaly’s computer. Setting it down, then clambering on top, he moved his squat, grey hands across the keyboard, then scrolled until he found _exactly_ what he was looking for.

        “Her!” he exclaimed proudly, pointing to a result on the large screen. “Her! Her! It has to be her!”

        All conversation came to a screeching halt. To most, it seemed like No1 had simply _teleported_ over to the computer, including Foaly himself, which was why he was not worried that the young demon had messed with his precious tech. Instead, he moved his chair over to the screen and pulled up the profile that No1 was fervently insisting on.

        A photo of a young woman was pulled up along with a basic page of information. Her skin was a natural olive tone, and her dark hair was close-shaved on the sides, with the few inches of hair on top spiked into a fohawk. Thick, black eyeliner profiled her hazel-brown eyes, and dark purple colored her lips. She would have looked like the stereotypical hard-rocker, had she not been smiling so genuinely that the whole picture brightened.

        “Her name is Leigh Hardy.” Foaly read. “She’s 5’7”, Cherokee, born in January, and grew up in south-eastern Oklahoma. She has a mother and a father who are married, a younger brother, and a cousin who lives in Manhattan and owns a hotel.” The centaur pulled up another photo. In this one, the young woman sat in the driver's seat of a muscle car. “She drag races with her father, so she might be decent at evasive driving.”

        He scrolled a bit, looking for more pertinent information. “ She has quite the resume. Kept a four-point-oh in high school, college, _and_ most of her semesters at university. She has a Masters in the Biomedical Sciences, she can speak English, Spanish, and ASL. And. . .” With a few taps on his keyboard, Foaly pulled up her medical records. “She’s allergic to peanuts, but aside from that she has a clean bill of health.” Another click, and Foaly chuckled. “Get a load of this. Her audiometric results say that she has _unusually sensitive hearing_ , with _unusually_ underlined.”

        The room was quiet while everyone took in the information.

        “I say we go for it,” Holly stated. “We don’t have any better places to look, her creds are solid, and besides.” She paused to run a hand over her crew-cut. “She looks like my kind of person.”

        Commander Kelp turned to everyone, gauging their reactions. “I have no qualms with this. Some basic self-defense techniques can be taught if she needs them. Are we all in agreement?”

        Everyone in the room nodded, shrugged, or gave a verbal confirmation.

        “Good,” Trouble straightened and cleared his throat. “Artemis, I need you to stay and help me work out some of the finer details of our ops and the operative contracts for yourselves and if Ms. Hardy agrees to join us. Foaly, I need to to prep the mind-wipe tech in case she _doesn’t_. Where is she now?”

        Foaly brought up the data within a few keystrokes. “She’s an intern at  D&D Pharmaceuticals. Her shift starts at 7am and ends at 4pm.”

        “Does she live by herself?” asked Trouble. Foaly nodded

        “Send the address to Holly.” the Commander turned to the Captain. “I want you and Butler to pick her up after her shift. Keep it quiet, and use whatever tech you need, and _be careful_. The last thing we need is to scare off our first and only candidate.”

        With that, everyone stood up and departed to go perform their first tasks as a team, save Mulch, who simply left to finish off what was left in the breakroom, and No1 who still studied the photo of the woman.

_Leigh_ , he thought. In his mind, the name fit the person he saw, beaming in the photo perfectly. But, no matter how hard he tried, the name took a different connotation when he associated it with the vision he had had. The mental imagery showed a hardened, fighter, covered in scrapes and bruises, carrying herself like a _warrior_. And, in the background, too faraway to see clearly, moved a dark mass. At times, No1 thought that perhaps he had seen an animal, then at others a distorted human, but nothing concrete ever took form. All he knew for certain was that it was connected to the image of Leigh, somehow.

        It didn’t _scare_ him, per se, but he didn’t know what it was, or how to go about finding out. The demon reached out and traced her  smile on the screen, trying to mimic it by flashing his mouthful of pointed teeth. Whoever or whatever the connection was, he silently prayed that it would turn out good, and that he hadn’t doomed his friends in his search for an answer.  

 


	3. The Little People

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cherokee Pronunciation Key  
> Ts - "J" in Jack  
> V - "uh" in "fun"  
> A- "ah" in father  
> I - "ee" in police  
> O - "oh" in note  
> U- in tune  
> E- "eh" in they

**Oklahoma City, Oklahoma**

        In a black SUV, a few blocks from Bricktown, sat a man with a gun. A few guns were actually concealed on his person, but the one waiting in his lap was the least lethal, and hopefully the only one going to be used.  He studied the weapon, a new piece of fairy technology  that had been assembled only an hour prior to his departure from Haven. On the fairy scale, it was a rifle, but in his hands it was no larger than the Sig Sauers he kept under his coat. 

        The rifle was filled with small, hollow pellets, and each pellet was filled with a special aerosol meant to slowly and safely sedate a target. There were two ammunition chambers that could be switched to with the press of a button, one with pellets for targets with an average sense of smell such as fairies and humans, and one with pellets containing a weaker aerosol for sensitive noses, like dogs and trolls.

         “I’ve had this design for  _ months _ ,” said Foaly, handing the weapon to Butler has their ship was being readied. “There just weren’t any opportunities for a field test, so I never put  it together.”

        Setting the weapon aside, Butler touched a finger to the com in his ear.

        “Are you sure this is the right place Foaly? This neighborhood looks nothing like the photos we received.”

        He heard a few taps, then a reply. “It’s the right place. Well, the  _ address  _ is correct at least. I pulled those photos from an email she sent her cousin. Gabriel was very adamant about knowing that she was in a decent place if she was going to be paying for it herself.”

        Butler looked at the surrounding neighborhood through the SUV’s tinted windows. Looking at the decaying buildings and empty lots with yellow grass, he felt a bit of sympathy for the cousin. If it were Juliet and himself in their place, he would want her to be in the best place the city had to offer, despite the fact that his sister could easily protect herself and make the best out of such a dull place.

        “So she sent the photos of a better area so he wouldn’t worry. I’m not surprised.” He watched a group of what appeared to lost tourists pass by, arguing over a wrinkled map of the city. 

        “Holly, what’s your ETA?”

        The elf captain, shielded and hovering several feet above their target, picked up and spoke softly.

        “She took a detour and stopped at Sonic and just picked up her order. I’d say twelve minutes, tops.”

        Butler nodded, “Roger that.” Then, he settled into his seat, and waited.

***

        Leigh Hardy left the Sonic, holding the door open for a few people to enter and exit, stifling a yawn as murmured a “You’re welcome”. Once there was a break in customers, she let the door shut and made her way back to the bus stop. She was so worn from her day at D&D, she knew she’d have to squeeze in a nap before she left for work that evening.  _ If I don’t fall asleep on the bus first,  _ she thought.

       Suddenly, a sharp hum reached her ears, and she shook her head to try and dispel the uncomfortable sound. She looked around to find the source, but found nothing but tourists and heat waves. Perhaps she wasn’t as used to the sounds of the city as she thought. 

        The bus ride to her neighborhood took all of ten minutes, and with a three minute walk back to her apartment, she hurried off the bus, smiling and thanking the driver on her way out. Leaving the bus stop, she walked quickly, taking long strides, making her way past other pedestrians and a lost group of tourists. The sooner she was home, the more time she would have to herself before work.

        Approaching the building , she heard that hum again, and this time she thought she heard a woman speaking. She ignored it, and stopped at the door and entered her passcode. No sooner than she had stepped in, she felt a sharp sting on her shoulder, like something had  _ hit  _ her. 

        “Ow!” she yelped, shrugging off her jacket. There was no wound, just a small, sore spot, so it hadn’t been a bug. Heading towards the stairwell, she began searching her jacket for any clues, and one of the heat waves from earlier followed.

***

        “We’re approaching the building,” said Holly, urging her wings to carry her further. The surge in power caused them to hum slightly louder than usual, something that stealth wings  _ weren’t _ supposed to do. She made a mental note to take them to Foaly as soon as they returned.

        “I’m in position,” replied Butler, his deep bass reverberating in her helmet. 

        As Leigh typed in her passcode, he took aim, firing as she opened the door. She jumped, stopping to check herself for injuries, giving Holly time to slip past her into the building. 

        “Hit confirmed.” Holly whispered into the com. “See you at the rendezvous.”

        She followed a few feet behind the young woman, watching her carefully as she inspected her jacket. She was very unassuming, wearing a plain t-shirt, skinny jeans and just enough make-up to hide the dark circles around her eyes. No doubt this was the dress-code set up at the pharmaceutical company. Overall, Leigh looked very overworked and worn, a hint of the bright eyed woman in the photo on file. 

_         Maybe we’re doing her a favor,  _ Holly thought.

        Suddenly, she threw the wings into reverse, nearly avoiding the young woman who had stopped in the middle of the third flight of stairs. She was swaying slightly, looking at something on her jacket, though Holly couldn’t see what it was over her shoulder without risking detection. It was eerily quiet in the stairwell, quiet enough for Holly to hear when Leigh took a deep breath, almost like she was sniffing the air.

        Leigh coughed violently and staggered, dropping her jacket to catch herself on the handrail. Shaking her head, she took off up the stairs at full speed, reaching the fourth floor in a matter of seconds. Holly sped after her, calling Butler, who was waiting for the all-clear on the roof.

       “Butler we have a problem. She’s already reacting to the tranquilizer and she could go out any minute. Pick-up will be sooner than we planned.”

        “Roger. I’m on my way.”

        Next, she called Foaly. “What’s going on centaur? I thought you said she wasn’t supposed to react until she was already in her apartment?”

        “She wasn’t!” Foaly replied indignantly. “I measured those doses twice! There’s no reason for the sedatives to be affecting her  _ now. _ ”

        “Maybe she smelled the aerosol and new that something was up.”

        She could hear Foaly stamp his hooves, something he did when he was frustrated. “That’s  _ impossible _ . She’d have to be a  _ bloodhound  _ to smell that!

        Holly fought the urge to roll her eyes and focused on the task ahead. As Leigh threw open the door to the fifth floor, the elf pushed the wings as hard as they would go, sending her zooming over the young woman’s head and into the hall.

***

        Leigh flung open the door and stumbled into her corridor. Her breathing was labored, her vision blurry, and worst of all, that damned  _ humming  _ was back with a vengeance. She took a moment to lean against a wall, shaking her head and breathing deeply, trying to stave off whatever was affecting her.

        She didn’t know for sure what was happening to her, but she knew that whatever had hit her shoulder on the way in had something to do with it. The thing had left some small bits of plastic on her jacket, and  _ reeked  _ of chemicals. Could she have accidentally brought something back with her from D&D Pharmaceuticals?

        Using the wall for support, she began to slowly make her way to her apartment, made all the more difficult by the fact that she was slowly losing feeling in her legs. Hearing the door to the south stairwell open, she looked up, hoping that a neighbor had arrived who could help her. Instead, a giant stepped out into the hall, his shoulders nearly brushing the opposite walls, and his head was a few inches from the ceiling, and he absolutely  _ terrified  _ her. She’d never seen this man before in her life, and he definitely wasn’t someone from the building. He looked at her, and then came straight for her.

        Every ounce of her being was telling her that she couldn’t trust this man, that he was the reason why she felt like she’d just received a heavy dose of anesthetic. She lurched forward, pulling a knife from her belt and used what little strength she had to hurl it at his head. He was quick to react, throwing up a hand as the blade ruptured the bulb in the light fixture directly in front of him, creating a bright flash and sending sparks and broken glass flying.

        As he man clutched his head and tried to blink away the stars, she stumbled to her apartment. She wrestled the lock open, slipped inside, and shut and locked the door behind her. Leigh leaned against the door, taking a moment to try and catch her breath, then stood up straight, realizing she wasn’t alone.

        Just ahead of her, standing near the sofa, was a small being. It was about three feet high, with dark skin, bright eyes and pointed ears. Those eyes watched her very carefully.

        Leigh’s mouth went dry. She knew what this being was. It would either help her, or getting her in even deeper trouble. And, judging by the footsteps she heard outside, that was a risk she would have to take.

        Holding up her hands, she took a shaky step towards the being, only to trip over her own numb feet. She crashed to the floor, looking up to see that the being was kneeling next to her now, watching her lose consciousness.

         “A-alisde . . . delv. . . vdi.” she pleaded.

***

        Holly watched as the young woman stepped into the apartment, leaning against the door. The elf had taken off her helmet, ready to use the mesmer if she needed. Any human who could temporarily incapacitate Butler was someone to be careful around.

        She tensed when Leigh finally noticed her, the young woman’s eyes going wide. She watched her swallow, then take a step towards her, but the sedative was too far into her system, and she tripped and fell to the floor. 

        Holly was at the young girl’s side in an instant, checking for injuries. She rolled her over, surprised to find that she was still conscious somehow, but what she said then surprised her even more.

        “A-alisde . . . delv. . . vdi.” she pleaded.

        Holly blinked. This woman was asking her for help, in  _ Cherokee _ . She heard a voice speak to her in the com in her ear. It was Foaly.

         “The Cherokee have their own stories of the People,” he explained to her. “They call them the  _ Little People _ , and believed that they would either help or mislead those lost in the woods, and favored children. She wants you to save her.”

        With that in mind, Holly put a gentle hand on Leigh’s shoulder and used her gift of tongues to respond.

        “Galvdi, ayoli.” she said.  _ Sleep now, child.  _

        Leigh seemed to understand, as she finally gave in to the effects of the sedative and closed her eyes. Within minutes, she was sound asleep.

        At this time, the doorknob jiggled, followed by a knock on the door.

        “Holly, it’s me.” said Butler. “Are you alright?”

        The elf left Leigh’s side to open the door and let her friend in. “I’m fine, but what about you? I saw you take a fluorescent light bulb to the face.”

        Butler stepped in and shut the door behind him. “I’m shocked more than anything. I wouldn’t expect someone like her to be able to throw a knife with enough force and accuracy to knock out a light while  _ sedated. _ ”

        They both looked down at the sleeping woman at their feet. Now all they had to do was carry her up to the roof, where their fairy ship had landed and was now waiting.

        Holly shrugged, “Well, it could have been  _ worse _ .”

***

        Leigh woke up with a start, staring blankly at a blindingly white ceiling. As she waited for sensation to return to her body, she recalled a dream she had had, wherein she had woken up in an alien ship, the face of the Little Person swimming at the edges of her vision. Voices came in and out of focus, panicked and sharp.

_         She’s awake! _

_         How is that possible? She was supposed to be out for another two hours! _

_         Another dose. We need to give her another dose! _

        She remembered feeling her body shake then, like she had coughed, and that’s where the dream ended. Though, now as Leigh sat up and looked around her, she began to suspect that it hadn’t been a dream at all.

        Everything was either a clean white or the shining silver of stainless steel. The bed she sat on, the only piece of furniture in the room, was way too small for her, leaving her feet to dangle off the edge when lying on her back. In fact, the whole  _ room _ was small, like it had been scaled down for children. The sheets were clean and felt  _ strange _ , and the whole room smelled sterile. The room reminded her of someone’s attempt at recreating a hospital room from memory.

        Swinging her legs around, she placed her feet flat on the floor, then leaned forward, testing the strength of her legs. Finding that they could support her, she took a deep breath and pushed herself up onto her feet. She took a moment to be completely sure that she was well enough to stand and walk on her own, and had begun planning her jail-break when a voice came on overhead.

        “Hello Ms. Hardy. I hope you are feeling well.”

        The voice was attempting to sound welcoming and warm, but still sent shivers down her spine. She did actually feel like she had just gotten the best sleep she had had in  _ years _ , but she wasn’t about to respond to a faceless voice.

        “We apologize for the rough apprehension, but it was necessary for our level of preferred security. Now, if you’d please exit your recovery room and take a left down the hall, we have a proposition we’d like to discuss with you, as well as answer any questions you may have. We’ll be waiting through the fifth door on your left.”

        As soon as the voice finished speaking, the only door in the room slid open with a soft hiss. She thought about taking her chance and running, but quickly decided that she wouldn’t get very far without knowing more. Straightening her clothes, she peeked her head into the corridor, before cautiously stepping out and turning left.

_         I feel like Alice, _ she thought.  _ Only, I’ll fight any queen who tries to take my head.  _

        She carefully counted the doors she passed, which wasn’t difficult considering that the hall was just as small as the room she had woken up in. It dawned on her as she reached the door the voice had specified, that maybe the Little Person from her apartment and her dream had gotten involved and brought her to it’s homeland.

        Before she could think about what all that could entail, the door slid open with another soft hiss, and several things registered with her at once. First, there was a table at the center of the room, brimming with all sorts of fruits, vegetables, and dishes that made her stomach growl audibly and her mouth water. Second, there were strange creatures in the room. A four legged one wearing a lab coat, which her mind immediately labeled as a  _ miniature centaur _ , a small, grey gargoyle with red runes running along it’s body, and the Little Person from her apartment, who was holding back a small, scruffy being with a mouthful of gnashing tombstone teeth,  muddy fingers reaching out for small banquet.

        “It’s for our  _ guest _ . Please show some semblance of  _ control _ .” she heard the Little Person whisper harshly to the hungry ball of teeth and hair.

        Third, she saw that the giant that had come after her was in fact sitting in the room with them all. He sat very still in the first human sized thing she’d seen since her arrival, and Leigh would have thought him an automaton if he wasn’t blinking freely and following her with his steely eyes. 

        Lastly, she saw a young man that had a certain demeanor and nearly translucent skin that would have led her to believe that he was a vampire, if she didn’t know any better. He strode towards her now, extending a delicate hand and pinning her to the spot with icy blue eyes. He smiled, but it only made her more nervous. This must be the owner of the voice, she thought.

        “Good evening. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I’m Artemis Fowl the Second.”

        Leigh shook his hand, remembering her manners even in Wonderland. “I’m Leigh Hardy. It’s nice to meet you Mr. Fowl.”

        Artemis waved a hand. “Please, Artemis is fine.” He stepped back to allow her to fully enter the room. “You’ve already met my bodyguard, Butler.”

        The giant nodded, and shook her hand when she offered it. “Sorry about the fright.”

        Leigh smiled, shaking his hand firmly. “I’m sorry for blowing the light up in your face. You scared the  _ daylights  _ out of me.”

        “About that,” Butler released her hand and reached into his coat, withdrawing a black pocket knife. “I believe this is yours. I figured you’d want it back.”

        Leigh took it, letting out a breath of relief. “Thank you so much. My grandpa gave me this knife.”

        Artemis drew her attention away for the moment, gesturing to the miniature centaur. “This is Foaly, the technical consultant for the LEP.”

        Foaly shook her hand in turn. “Pleasure to meet you. Strong grip you got there.”

        She chuckled, “Thank you.”

        “And you’ve met Captain Holly Short, of course.”

        Leigh looked over to the Little Person, who spoke before she had the chance to properly introduce herself.

        “Hey there. It’s nice to meet you formally. I’d shake your hand, but I’ve been manhandling Mulch here, and it’d be rude to give a handshake without properly sanitizing first.”

       She noticed Artemis grimace at her side. “That would be Mulch Diggums, the dwarf and troll rider of our team. Dwarves are very unsanitary creatures, as you’ll come to find out.”

        Before she could respond, the little gargoyle walked up to her, reaching up a grey, stubby hand to her, and showing off a mouthful of sharp teeth in what looked like a smile.

        “I’m No1, demon warlock in training! I had a dream about you.”

        Leigh shook his hand, smiling brightly in return. “Hello No1, I’m Leigh. Was it a good dream?”

        Suddenly the young imp let her hand go, and his smile vanished, leaving behind an expression that made him look somewhat  _ lost _ .

        “I. . . I don’t know. . .”

        The young woman looked at him, puzzled. Artemis cleared his throat, once again drawing her attention somewhere else.

        “Unfortunately, Commander Kelp couldn’t join us, as he is currently reporting the success of your apprehension. If you’ll have a seat, Ms. Hardy, we will explain your current circumstances to you. And, as we seemed to have prevented your dinner, feel free to partake in any of the food before you.”

        At this, everyone took a seat around the table, except for Butler, who preferred to remain in his chair, and Mulch, who was sent to sit on a stool in the far corner of the room. There was one seat left open, where most of the food was clustered, and a strange tablet rested on the table in front of it. This seat was reserved for her, she guessed, but she made no move to sit down.

        “Is everything alright, Ms. Hardy?” inquired Artemis.

        “I don’t mean to be rude,” Leigh said, cringing as her stomach growled. “But you’re not supposed to eat the food of the Yvwi Tsvdi, or you’ll owe them back. I have to ask, what’s the catch?”

        “Ah, I see.” Artemis smiled. “Well, I can assure you that there are no tricks nor hidden strings attached to the meal before us. But, if it will make you feel more comfortable, you are free to review the contract I have written for you before eating.”

        That did make Leigh feel a little better, so she sat down and picked up the tablet in front of her. It came to life in her hands, illuminating a document with her name on it.

        “Contract of Employment for Leigh Hardy as a human agent for the LEPRecon Special Ops?”

         Artemis nodded. “Yes. The cover we have is that you’ll finish your internship at Fowl Manor and be an employee of mine. But, by signing this contract, you will be a member of a team specialized to handle human and fairy crimes. You will be a field operative, going out and preventing humans from illegally interacting with the People, and therefore stopping the human race from discovering the existence of fairies under unfavorable circumstances.”

        Leigh read the fine print of the contract as she spoke. “Fairies, huh?” She glanced up at the individuals around her. “That makes sense.” She scrolled through the contract as she read.

        “Fowl Manor. I think I’ve heard of you from somewhere. Don’t you live in Ireland?”

        “Dublin, yes.” Artemis replied.

        “As your employee, would I have to provide my own housing, or would it be provided?”

        “Provided. You’d stay in Fowl Manor.”

        Leigh nodded, thinking about it all carefully. “What about payment?”

        Artemis leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled. “Paragraph five explains the details of your pay.”

        The young woman read on until she had gone through the aforementioned paragraph. Her eyes widened, and it took everything she had to stop her hands from shaking. “This. . . this is  _ weekly _ ?”

        Artemis nodded, so Leigh continued. After a few moments of silence, broken occasionally by the sound of one of either Foaly or No1 munching on a morsel of food, she set the tablet down. Letting out a heavy breath, she ran her fingers through her hair and rested her elbows on the table.

        “So let me get this straight.” She began, counting off the things on her fingers as she listed them. “The pay is astronomical, housing, food,  _ and  _ utilities are provided,  _ and  _ I get to finish my internship in  _ Ireland _ .”

        “The thing is,” Holly spoke now. “These missions are  _ highly  _ dangerous. Three of us have died because of the situations we’ve faced in the past. We can’t guarantee your safety, not completely.”

        “So I’ll be putting my life on the line to potentially save the world, but probably won’t ever get publicly recognized for it?” Leigh looked at all of their faces individually, then picked up the tablet. “As long as it gets me out of that backwoods hick state. Where do I sign?”

        Everyone seemed to relax then as Artemis moved around the table to help her fill in the document. Once finished, Artemis took the tablet and Leigh reached over to grab a water and a bowl of kiwi.

        “Can you pass me the strawberries please?” she asked. “They smell  _ amazing _ .”

        Over in the corner, Mulch had had enough. 

        “Great! She’s eating!  _ Now  _ can I get some chow? I’m wasting away over here!”

        Leigh turned to the dwarf, a ripe mango in hand. “If you can catch this with your teeth, you can eat as much as you want.”

        Mulch grinned. The human didn’t know what she was getting herself into.

        “ _ Deal. _ ” 


	4. New Beginnings

        Before she was returned to her apartment,  Leigh was instructed to get a good night's sleep,  then pack her things and meet Butler at a private airstrip near Will Rogers Airport. As she was escorted to the shuttle port, Leigh had her first glimpse of the fairy city, and it was breathtaking. Though distracted as she was in her awestruck state, she kept up with Holly, Butler, and Artemis easily. Holly guided them to the port with a quick, purposeful stride, but being the appropriate fairy size for Haven, this left her three human companions to follow along at a leisurely pace.

        At a height of five-feet-seven inches, Leigh had to tuck her chin in to her chest and hunch her shoulders, juggling her attention between soaking in the details of the new and alien world around her, and not damaging it. She didn’t mind, since, to her right, Butler was forced to stoop to nearly her size due to his size.

        “Too bad there aren’t any mysterious bottles labeled  _ Drink Me  _ lying around, huh?” she joked.

        “Ah, an  _ Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland  _ reference.” Artemis smiled, appreciating the clever analogy. Butler’s expression only shifted slightly, but Leigh still got the feeling that he thought it was at least appropriate, if not funny.

        “Have you read the works of Lewis Carroll, or have you simply seen one of the movies?”

        “Both,” she replied. “I’ve read  _ Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland _ and  _ Through the Looking Glass _ , and seen nearly every movie adaptation made. I love Lewis Carroll. I can quote  _ Jabberwocky  _ by heart.”

        Artemis inclined his head, “Impressive.”

        “Excuse me, I’m sorry.” Leigh said to a scaley individual who had shambled across her path, causing her to trip over his tail. It hissed at her and began to bark at her in a strange language, but quickly backed off when Holly flashed the golden acorns on her lapel.

        Curious, Leigh took in the appearance of the creature, then ventured out a name.

        “Was that a, um, goblin?”

        “Yeah, don’t worry about them.” Holly assured her. “They make up most of the petty thievery in Haven, but aren’t bright enough for anything too heinous.”

        “Oh.” Emboldened, Leigh spent the remainder of the trek attempting to name the different types that she saw. She got two right on her first try not including the goblin, but when she got one wrong, she was kindly corrected by Artemis or Holly. She was thrilled, and began filing away questions she would ask later, once everything had settled down.

       After making their way through a busy shuttleport, they boarded a vehicle somewhat resembling a humvee, which Holly affectionately called the  _ Silver Cupid: Mach II _ . Artemis shifted uncomfortably in his seat at this, but relaxed as he watched Leigh take in every detail of Foaly’s revived creation with raw, unbridled wonder. No doubt the centaur was would save and review the security footage for years to come, as the rare moment of open admiration would never fail to bolster his ego.

        Now that Leigh was awake to witness Holly’s piloting skills, the elf took the opportunity to give a demonstration. Nothing too extreme, but just enough that she could watch the Mud Woman’s face as she rode the scorching heat waves from the magma shoots. It was satisfying to watch her try and ask questions about how the vehicle's her able to sail on the heat from the Earth’s core, and was even comical when she gave up gushing about how  _ utterly brilliant and astounding  _ it all was halfway through her spiel.

        An hour later, they landed on the roof of Leigh’s apartment building. The young woman stood still for a few moments, processing what she had just been through and what she had just seen. Her mind was thoroughly blown, and if this was only the beginning, then she couldn’t be more eager to see what came next.

_         I think this is what they mean when they say ‘coming down from a high’ _ , she thought.

        Artemis reminded her of her instructions, then informed her that he would see her upon her arrival at Fowl Manor. Leigh thanked Holly for the ride, and as the shuttle rose into the air, destined for Ireland, the elf made one last act of grandeur by putting the “pedal to the metal”, causing the ship to take off forcefully, nearly knocking Leigh off her feet and setting off a car alarm down the street.

        She followed Butler back down to her floor, distracted with the task of composing a mental list of all the things she would have to take care of before she left. She realized suddenly that she wouldn’t just be leaving Oklahoma, she’d be leaving the United States altogether. In her lifetime, Leigh had never left the US, only going so far west as California, and as far east as New York to visit her cousin. 

        Butler stopped just outside the door to her floor. “I’ll meet you at the front gate tomorrow. Message me when you arrive. My contact information is already in your phone.”

        Leigh stared at him incredulously, taking out her phone and pulling up her contact list. He was right, of course. His name and information was there, as well as Artemis’.

        “Wow, okay. . . But what about my travel documents?”

        “Your visa is already taken care of.” Butler replied, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a passport. “You’ll get this tomorrow before we board.”

        She gave a low whistle. “Dang, this is some top level secret organization stuff.”

        Butler raised a brow, slipping the passport back into his coat. “You’ll get used to it.”

        After clearing up a few more details about her departure, Leigh bid Butler goodnight.

***

        The next day, Leigh rose at eight o’clock sharp, uncharacteristically early for her,  and began packing as she got ready. She made a few phone calls as well, the first of which was to her boss.

        “You can take my paycheck and  _ shove it up your ass  _ for all I care Rich.” she snapped when he immediately began yelling at her for skipping out on the busiest shift of the work day. Rich, referred to as Money Bags by his pool buddies, was always yelling, telling his employees that “They were what was wrong with America.” if they made a mistake or told him that they needed time off for an emergency. She definitely wouldn’t miss this job. “I quit.”

        Next was the pharmaceutical company. They were very curt, informing her that all the details had been taken care of by her new supervisor, telling her to have a good day, then hanging up.

       While giving away all her food to her neighbors, she called her cousin. 

        Gabriel Mauricio de la Cruz Smith was more like an older brother to her than a cousin. He had been there for her since she was five, and still continued to be there for her even though her parents hated him. He taught her how to speak Spanish, about his culture, and so much more. Most of Gabriel’s loved ones were dead, more than one had been taken from him by angry or malevolent people. Because of this, he constantly worried about his younger cousin who was blossoming into adulthood, which was why he was skeptical about the job she was gushing to him about over the phone.

        “Eso suena demasiado bueno para ser verdad.” he said to her. “¿Estas seguro acerca de esto?”

        “¡Sí! Esta es la oportunidad de toda una vida.” she replied. “Puedo cuidarme, primo.”

        “  _ Lo sé, lo sé _ .” Leigh heard the speaker crackle as he let out a sigh. It was hard for him to let her move a whole ocean away from him. "A mi tía no le gusta esto. Solo. . . Solo dime si necesitas algo.”

        Leigh grinned. "¡Lo haré! Te amo, Gabriel!”

        “Te amo, primo.”

        The last person on her list was of course her mother. She wasn’t looking forward to it, knowing that her mom would use every dirty trick in her book to try and get her to stay. Her mom had barely been able to handle her moving to the state capitol. She was bound to have a fit when she found out that her daughter was moving  _ to another country _ , which was exactly why Leigh had saved this phone call for last.

         While she taped up her boxes, summoned an Uber, and loaded up her luggage with the help of a neighbor, she listened to her mom tearfully beg her to stay. 

        “Everyone’s drunk in Ireland! You’ll be run off the road, or worse!”

        Ten minutes later, when that hadn’t worked, her mother pleaded with her to wait a few more hours so that she and the rest of her immediate family could drive up to OKC to say goodbye in person.

        “I can’t Mama, I’m sorry.” Leigh wiped tears from her own eyes. She hated breaking her mother’s heart like this, but it was something she was used to, unfortunately. “I’m almost to the airport. I have to go  _ now _ , or I won’t get the job. I love you.”

        She hung up as soon as her mother finished telling her how much she loved her a few minutes later. Leigh messaged Butler as they pulled in through the parking lot. She made sure that her makeup was still intact. She believed that first impressions were very important, and since she felt like she had botched hers when she was introduced to her new teammates while wearing her plain work outfit, she decided to dress as she would if she were going out with her friends.

        She wore dark makeup, with thick winged eyeliner and her favorite purple lipstick. Her hair was spiked into a messy fohawk, and she wore purple wing earrings and a silver ear cuff. She had donned her favorite black tank-top with a white, geometric skull on the front, torn, blue jean shorts, and black combat boots. A silver ring adorned every other finger, spiked cuffs on her wrists, and a silver faux-septum ring hung from her nose.

       She paid her Uber driver, who began to get out of the car to help her unload her boxes and make small talk until he saw Butler approaching the vehicle. Then he went eyed and quiet, though Leigh kept up the cordial conversation. She didn’t have very much to her name, so she only had a five boxes, a duffel bag, and a backpack to carry. Butler carried most of the boxes, and would have carried everything if Leigh hadn’t put her foot down and insisted that she carry the rest herself.

        They unloaded her things onto the jet, then Leigh strapped herself into one of the luxurious padded seats, jaw dropping at the luxury of it all. She had only flown once before this, and it was in Premium Economy to New York to see her cousin. To think, she was the only true passenger on this flight. 

        This was it, she was finally leaving Oklahoma behind. Clutching the armrests in white-knuckle grip as the jet took off down the runway, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. There wouldn’t be any going back now.

_         Look out world, here I come.  _

***

        Several hours of flying later, the jet landed at a private airport in Dublin. During the flight, Leigh and Butler had kept up some small talk but were otherwise quiet for the rest of the trip. They transferred Leigh’s things from the jet to a black Bentley, but Leigh stopped on the last step, staring at the ground.

        “Are you alright?” Butler asked her, setting her boxes in the trunk.

        Leigh nodded. “Yeah, I just. . . I can’t believe that I’m about to step foot in another  _ country _ .”

        Slowly, she took the last step down from the jet, taking her first steps on foreign soil. She couldn’t have been happier not to be state-side.

        The jet closed itself up once she was clear of the steps, and soon they were on their way to Fowl Manor. She called Gabriel and her mom on the way there, telling them that she had arrived safely. She watched the Irish landscape zoom past her window, and she took what pictures she could to post later. But,  the most impressive sight came to her as they approached Fowl Manor.

        “ _ That’s  _ a manor?” she said with disbelief. “That looks more like a  _ castle _ .”

        “Fowl Manor has been in the Fowl family for centuries.” Butler explained, pulling the Bentley into an opening at the far side of the ancient stone building, driving past many more expensive vehicles. “It’s a national historical landmark.”

        She exited the car with a soft  _ oh _ , gazing around at all the vehicles. Most were so new that she doubted that her car-loving father would be able to name them.

        Artemis approached them as they pulled Leigh’s things from the Bentley.

        “Welcome, Leigh. I trust that your flight was to your liking?”

        Leigh nodded vehemently. “Yes, absolutely! You’re plane is incredible.”

        “Thank you.” Artemis replied politely. “Now, if you’ll follow me, I will give you a brief tour of the Manor on the way to your room.” 

        The Manor was more lavish than anything Leigh could ever  _ dream  _ of. Paintings, rugs and pieces of actual history decorated the halls and rooms. Artemis gave her a brief history of each one, and Leigh hung onto every word. He showed her where the kitchen was, the dining room, and led her up a staircase and showed her where his office was.

        “Your room is one floor up, in the east wing.” he told her. “You’ll be staying across the hall from-”

        “ARTEMIIIIIIIIS!”

        Suddenly, a young boy with a head of messy, blonde hair and a dirt smudged face came running at them from down the hall. He had something clutched to his chest, and a wild look in his eyes.

        “Look what I caught!” The boy shoved his hands towards Artemis, opening them up to reveal a terrified field mouse. “Can I keep it?”

        Artemis took a step back, away from the mouse. “Beckett, I’m sure you’ve already asked Juliet that. What did she say?”

        “She said no.” said another boy, who looked to be the same age as the first, but only he was Artemis’ spitting image. “But I would like to introduce it to the rats in the lab to see how their social behavior is affected by their closely related, feral cousin.”

        Then, they both noticed Leigh, who was standing behind Artemis, worrying for the mouse’s safety. His interest diverted, Beckett skirted around Artemis and walked up to Leigh.

        “Hi! I’m Beckett. Who the heck are you?”

        Leigh laughed while Artemis cringed. “I’m Leigh. It’s very nice to meet you Beckett.”

        “I’m Myles Fowl the First. It’s a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.” said Myles, extending a hand to her. Leigh carefully adjusted the items in her arms so that she could shake his hand.

        “The pleasure’s all mine, Myles.”

        “ _ There  _ you two are!” A woman about Leigh’s age came down the hallway, and suddenly Leigh found that she couldn’t breathe.

        Her hair, shaved on one side and braided, was perfectly blonde. Glittery-green eye shadow colored her steel blue eyes, and her lips were a bright red. She wore a green muscle shirt that read “Girls Just Wanna Have Guns” that complemented her muscular arms, and light blue capris that hugged her equally muscular legs. Leigh felt heat rise to her face and ears. This girl was  _ stunning _ .

        “I told you two that you couldn’t keep that mouse, and I told you that Artemis would say. . .” The girl trailed off, her eyes meeting Leigh’s. A hint of pink tinged her cheeks.

        “Ah, Juliet.” Artemis, stepped aside. “This is Leigh. She’ll be working with us on the special ops team.”

        Leigh stepped forward, her eyes never leaving Juliet. “I’m, ah. . . I’m Leigh.”

        Juliet shook her hand as if in a daze. “Juliet.”

        Artemis continued on, oblivious to the exchange going on in front of him. “Your room will be across from hers, should you need anything Leigh.” He turned to his brothers. “I suppose you may keep the mouse, but  _ only  _ for the behavioral experiment.”

        Beckett jumped happily and Myles gave a smug grin before they both raced off to the lab. 

       “And don’t forget to use a control group!” Artemis called after them. He turned to Leigh. “I do apologize. Where were we?”

        “It’s alright, I think they’re wonderful.” Leigh shifted the boxes in her arms, finally tearing her gaze away from Juliet. “I think you were showing me to my room.”

        “Yes, of course.” Artemis led them the rest of the way down the hall, and Juliet stepped to the side to let them pass. Butler threw her a questioning look as he went by.

        Climbing another set of stairs and taking a few steps down another hall, Artemis opened the door to her room. It was  _ huge _ , larger than a luxury hotel VIP suite. The room was nearly three times the size of her bedroom back in her parents trailer home.

        “ _ This  _ is mine?” Leigh asked quietly. Artemis nodded.

        “Yes. Is it to your liking?”

        She set her boxes and bags down on the four poster king sized bed. “It’s  _ perfect _ . Thank you, thank you so much.”

        “You’re quite welcome, Leigh. We’ll leave you to unpack.”

        Leigh thanked Butler too, who closed the door behind him with a polite nod in her direction. She stared at the room around her, and in the silence, Juliet crossed her mind.

_         I think I’m going to like it here _ , she thought with a smile.


End file.
